In the spirit of retail in , 27% of last-minute shoppers will only head to brick-and-mortar stores if curbside pickup options are available. But “11th-hour shoppers,” or 35% of those surveyed, are a riskier bunch; these professional procrastinators saved their holiday shopping for the week of Christmas.
The most popular last-minute gift category is apparel, with clothing and accessories at 78%, followed by electronics at 45 %; gift cards at 44%; and home goods at 33%. Younger generations seek the small, independent brands for gifts, as only 26% of Silent Gen shoppers and 34% of Baby Boomers said they are shopping small and independent brands this year, versus 45% of Gen Zers and 43% of Millennials. Oddly, both expensive jewelry and socks(!) rank almost equally in popularity across the board to both give and receive.
For those gifts that just won’t get there on time, 45% of last-minute shoppers said they will give a print-out photo of the gift or an IOU note as a “placeholder” until the gift arrives, according to 28% of respondents. And alternatively, gift cards are a popular last-minute option, with 44% opting to leave the gift choice up to the recipient.